Problem: Starting with Poe’s Tell-Tale Heart, Bierce’s Occurrence at Old Creek Bridge, Severed, Theseus and the Minotaur, or other highly dramatic short story, song, or play create a stop-motion animation between one and three minutes long, responding to the emotions evoked as well as the action depicted. Final result may be descriptive, metaphorical, or highly abstracted. Projects will be done by teams of 3 to 4 participants.

Objectives

Introduce the basics of narrative structure

Identify pivot points. What are the absolute essentials, both for plot and for emotional impact?

Explore storyboarding as a means of idea development

Practice effective team-work.

Reading: Chapters 14 and 13, Launching the Imagination

Timetable: 3 weeks

Lectures: The Classic Narrative

Demos: IStopMotion, Quicktime, IMovie

Example B: Conflict Resolution

Problem: Create a dialog or some form of conflict between two opposing forces. What sets the conflict in motion? How is it resolved?

Objectives

To explore dialectical thinking

To expand definition of “forces”--could be between two characters; between two colors, two shapes, etc; between words and music, between light and dark, between artist and audience, etc.